About the Author

Andrew
Otazo feels like he’s done A LOT of things. Probably too many.

Most recently, Andrew’s in the habit of calling himself a writer. He wrote a book titled The Miami Creation Myth and recruited a team (director, marketer, editor, and actors) to turn it into a podcast and TV series. He adapted the first chapter to the stage, which headlined a recurring sold-out show at Miami’s Villain Theater.

Andrew currently works as the Strategic Projects Manager of a global public relations agency. He also serves as the Communications Director of Miami Forward, a non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to build a more equitable and resilient Miami-Dade County.

Andrew served as Executive Director of the Cuba Study Group. He supported the Cuban civil society sector and educated Congresspersons and federal agency employees on Cuba policy. Andrew also lectured at Harvard Law School and Colombia Business School; participated in media interviews; and published White Papers and op-eds.

Andrew previously worked as a Research Associate at the Harvard Business School, where he authored case studies on subjects ranging from telecom to medical device manufacturing, climate change, human-centered design, and SaaS. His 17 publications sold over 10,000 copies and are taught at the world’s top universities and corporations.

As QuikForce’s Miami Director, Andrew led a team that implemented the company’s South Florida customer acquisition, business development, and marketing initiatives based on financial models he produced.

As Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s assistant, Andrew’s duties included managing the President’s schedule, writing diplomatic correspondence, liaising with foreign diplomats, and translating. While at the State Department’s Office of Andean Affairs, Andrew helped implement policy with Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Perú. Just before his stint at State, Andrew lived in São Paulo, where he picked up Portuguese. He loves all things Brazilian and desperately misses a good picanha.

Andrew
spent two years at West Point. He learned how to take a punch, blew out his eardrums,
broke a shin, discovered he wasn’t White (outside of Miami), and fired a tank.
He then earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the University of Miami.

Andrew Otazo carrying 30 pounds of trash the length of the Miami Marathon

On a more personal front, Andrew’s removed 10,000 pounds of trash from Miami’s mangrove forests. He also carried 30 pounds of that trash the length of the 2019 Miami Marathon. He led a team of eight that hauled a 130-pound trash cart through the 2020 Miami Marathon. These efforts raised over $15,000 to combat local marine pollution. Andrew regularly lectures at the University of Miami on grassroots activism.

Andrew’s work has been published by Harvard Business Publishing, Energy Policy Journal, Buzzfeed, The New Tropic, The Sun Sentinel, The Islander, Acentos Review, Defenestration Magazine, The Plantain, The Washington Pastime, and Funny or Die.